Advisory Committee
Gerardo (Ardo) Fuentes, Chairman of Advisory Committee
B.S.M.E. UTEP 1994; MBA from the Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é of Notre Dame
Ardo earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UTEP before earning an MBA from the Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é of Notre Dame. Ardo began his investment industry career in 1999 and joined Stifel in 2021. Prior to Stifel, he served in various roles at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. During his tenure in New York, Ardo was Vice President of Global Corporate and Investment Banking, working as an Investment-Grade Debt Analyst.
Lawrence Pope, Strategic Advisor
Lawrence Pope is Executive Vice President of Administration and Chief Human Resources Officer for Halliburton, where he has global leadership responsibilities for Supply Chain, Information Technology, Human Resources, Real Estate Services, Corporate Aviation, Corporate Affairs and Security. He is a member of the Company's Executive Committee.
Celena Arreola
B.S. in Engineering Leadership, UTEP 2017; M.E. in Civil & Environmental Engineering, UTEP 2019
Celena Arreola was part of the first graduating class of Engineering Leadership at UTEP. Now Celena is an Environmental Engineer at El Paso Electric where she is involved in the data management and environmental compliance for all generation sites across Texas and New Mexico in accordance with federal and state regulatory agencies.
John Balliew
John Balliew is President and CEO of El Paso Water Utilities, where he is responsible for all aspects of water, wastewater, storm water and reclaimed water management for the greater El Paso metropolitan area. He has accumulated experience throughout the years by working on projects like the 50-year water resource plan, construction of the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Desalination Plant, and implementation of a leak detection system that reduced unbilled water by 43 percent.
Eric Minelga
Eric Minelga is a senior engineering manager with The Boeing Company, where he has led a variety of teams in aircraft interior design, certification, and production. He has an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é of Washington and a M.B.A. from Seattle Pacific Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é. He also serves on the board of directors for LIMBS International and is an active dog trainer with Guide Dogs for the Blind.